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In memory of Cecile Zilkha (née Iny), A”H, the daughter of a prominent Iraqi Jewish family who married into another (her husband is Ezra K. Zilkha), named in her own right a Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur and Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic, her insightful and determined involvement in such important organizations as the Hospital for Special Surgery and Metropolitan Opera have and will continue to positively improve untold lives.
18 September 2017 |
18 September 2017
This month, Sephardi Ideas Monthly begins a three-part series featuring the writings of Professor Daniel J. Elazar on the political concept of “covenant.” Prof. Elazar (1934-1999) served as the first President of The American Sephardi Federation from 1973-75 and enjoyed a highly successful career as a political scientist, specializing in the Jewish political tradition and Federalism. Prof. Elazar also studied various issues connected to Israel and world Jewry before making aliyah to Israel where he founded and served as President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
 Professor Daniel J. Elazar, A”H, First President of The American Sephardi Federation and Founder of The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (Photo courtesy of JCPA) |
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Daniel J. Elazar
In this month’s essay, “Covenant as a Political Concept,” taken from Vol. 1 of his monumental four-volume series, The Covenant Tradition in Politics, Prof. Elazar delineates how the idea of covenant was born in ancient Israel, but exerted a deep influence down through modern times, especially in the founding of the United States: “The idea of separation of powers, especially among equals… is a product of covenantal political culture.” Prof. Elazar further argues that even though early modern political thinkers such as Spinoza and Hobbes intended to create “a new secular modernism,” they, “opened the door for the resurrection of the primacy of covenantal thinking,” by emancipating the Bible from the weight of medieval interpretations. Once modern thinkers, especially in reform Protestant movements, began reading the Bible on its own terms and without the mediation of authoritative commentators, the idea of covenant emerged as a powerful idea in the development of democratic politics. |
Professor Daniel J. Elazar, A”H, First President of The American Sephardi Federation and Founder of The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
(Photo courtesy of JCPA)
In this month’s essay, “Covenant as a Political Concept,” taken from Vol. 1 of his monumental four-volume series, The Covenant Tradition in Politics, Prof. Elazar delineates how the idea of covenant was born in ancient Israel, but exerted a deep influence down through modern times, especially in the founding of the United States: “The idea of separation of powers, especially among equals… is a product of covenantal political culture.” Prof. Elazar further argues that even though early modern political thinkers such as Spinoza and Hobbes intended to create “a new secular modernism,” they, “opened the door for the resurrection of the primacy of covenantal thinking,” by emancipating the Bible from the weight of medieval interpretations. Once modern thinkers, especially in reform Protestant movements, began reading the Bible on its own terms and without the mediation of authoritative commentators, the idea of covenant emerged as a powerful idea in the development of democratic politics.
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If Elazar is right, why doesn’t the idea of “covenant” play a more prominent role in contemporary discussions of politics, in general, and American politics, in particular? One problem is that the role played by covenantal politics in fashioning a democratic order has been obscured by the rise of the idea of the social contract, what Elazar calls “Jacobin” democracy as opposed to “federalist” democracy. This “Jacobin” view reduces political relationships to contractual relationships and lacks the “morally binding dimension,” rooted in a belief in God, that characterizes covenantal politics. Not only does this language fail to describe the origins of American constitutional government, Prof. Elazar finds it to be problematic in and of itself.
While the content of Prof. Elazar’s political concerns is universal in character, it surely isn’t accidental that a thinker deeply rooted in Classic Sephardi Judaism undertook this massive work of intellectual synthesis. Elazar wrote in his brief but classic essay, “The Special Character of Sephardi Tolerance,” that the Sephardi way is characterized by “balance and proportion.” One can argue that this same sense of balance and proportion informs Prof. Elazar’s championing of covenantal politics as a mean between the ideal and the real, and as a way of balancing the interests of equal parties. What’s more, Prof. Elazar writes that, “Unlike the Ashkenazim, the Sephardim placed great emphasis on the biblical text as the starting point for studying the classic works.” In the present case, what is Prof. Elazar doing if not applying this same Sephardi principle by turning to the Bible “as the starting point” for his study of covenantal politics? |
While the content of Prof. Elazar’s political concerns is universal in character, it surely isn’t accidental that a thinker deeply rooted in Classic Sephardi Judaism undertook this massive work of intellectual synthesis. Elazar wrote in his brief but classic essay, “The Special Character of Sephardi Tolerance,” that the Sephardi way is characterized by “balance and proportion.” One can argue that this same sense of balance and proportion informs Prof. Elazar’s championing of covenantal politics as a mean between the ideal and the real, and as a way of balancing the interests of equal parties.
What’s more, Prof. Elazar writes that, “Unlike the Ashkenazim, the Sephardim placed great emphasis on the biblical text as the starting point for studying the classic works.” In the present case, what is Prof. Elazar doing if not applying this same Sephardi principle by turning to the Bible “as the starting point” for his study of covenantal politics?
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Sephardi Ideas Monthly is honored to introduce our readers to Prof. Daniel Elazar, one of the outstanding political thinkers of the twentieth century and a man whose commitment to Jewish and universal concerns grew naturally out of his deep grounding in classic Sephardi Judaism. Our exploration of Prof Elazar’s writings will continue in October with, “Covenant and Constitutionalism: The Great Frontier and the Matrix of Federal Democracy,” and in December with “Covenant and the American Polity.”
The American Sephardi Federation thanks the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs for granting permission to reprint Prof. Elazar’s articles for Sephardi Ideas Monthly. |
The American Sephardi Federation thanks the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs for granting permission to reprint Prof. Elazar’s articles for Sephardi Ideas Monthly.
Nosotros: Strengthening Bonds Between Jewish and Latino Communities
Through December 2017
in ASF’s Leon Levy Memorial Display
Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
The Philos Project and American Sephardi Federation cordially invite you to “Nosotros,” an art exhibit featuring the work of two renowned Latino artists, Angel Urrely (Cuba) and Carlos Ayala (Puerto Rico)–as a symbolic recognition and “step forward” to improving Jewish-Latino relations. We thank the Dominican artist, Juan Bravo, for exhibiting his pieces for the exhibit’s Opening Night. Each piece reflects the shared roots of Jewish and Latino communities and expresses hope for a more positive future from the perspective of each respective artist.
Each artist has displayed their works in hundreds of exhibits in both the US and Latin America, having many of them included in some of the most coveted collections in the world. We are very excited to bring them and their works to celebrate the importance of uniting us (or Nosotros), the Jewish and Latino communities, and having this art displayed in a very powerful way at the American Sephardi Federation at the Center for Jewish History.
Artists:
Angel Urrely is to the point. This son of Cuba does not beat around the bush. At least not for what the brush comes to reveal—his theory is clear and sharp. Each frame creates a specific, assertive and brutal connection. The reading of his work is—from the perspective of the viewer—very simple, to the point that if you assume an interpretation of what you are reading, believe me: Urrely is addressing exactly what you are thinking. Urrely has something to tell you and will let you know one way or another.
Carlos Ayala presents himself as the “Benjamin” of the tribes, the youngest of them all. This son of Puerto Rico presupposes that his youth may seem an obstacle to you, so he shows you his clutched fists from the introduction. This young man is fierce. Carlos shows us the deepest pains experienced by man, and brings them to an entertained, distracted and ill-bred public. He does not sit down to dream on the Caribbean coast and wait for boats loaded with promises. He does not have the time for it, but rather wants to remind you that even at the best moments pain is present. And at any moment it can befall us.
We look forward to having you join us!
Please click here for additional information and viewing hours
Jewish Heritage of the Deccan Book Talk with
Dr. George Michell, Editor
and
Kenneth X. Robbins, Author
Thursday, October 26
6:30 p.m.
Oded Halahmy Gallery at ASF
Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
Please join us to celebrate the Deccan Heritage Foundation’s new publication; Jewish Heritage of the Deccan; Mumbai, The Northern Konan, Pune.
Co-authored by Kenneth X. Robbins and Pushkar Sohoni, this guidebook is illustrated with splendid, newly commissioned photographs by Surendra Kumar. It is the first such publication to describe the synagogues, cemeteries, libraries, schools and research centers of the Bene Israel community and the more recent émigré Baghdadi Jews in the state of Maharashtra, India. Monuments and sites of both communities are preserved in Mumbai (Bombay) and Pune (Poona), as well as in the smaller towns in the northern Konkan region.
Descriptions are arranged according to itineraries to encourage citizens of Mumbai and Pune, as well as visitors to these cities and the towns of the Konkan, to discover this often overlooked aspect of local history. Intended as a handy reference to the Jewish presence in Maharashtra, the volume should contribute to a better appreciation of this significant aspect of Deccan history, and hopefully to the preservation of Jewish sites and monuments for future generations.
DR. GEORGE MICHELL trained as an architect and studied Indian archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies at University of London. He has conducted research projects at many historical sites in India, including Hampi Vijayanagara. Among his many publications are Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates, Mughal Architecture & Gardens, Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad, Late Temple Architecture of India, and Mansions of Chettinad. He is based in London, and is a founding trustee of the Deccan Heritage Foundation in the UK.
KENNETH X. ROBBINS is a psychiatrist based in Washington D.C., as well as a collector of South Asian art, and historian of expatriate communities in India. He is co-editor of African Elites in India: Habshi Amarat (Ahmedabad, 2006) and Western Jews in India (New Delhi, 2013), and curator of an exhibition on Jews in India held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, in 2017. He is also interested in Maharajas, Nawabs and Indian Princely States.
Please click here to reserve tickets
27th Conference of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies
“Crypto-Judaism in the Americas”
November 5 – 7
Philadelphia, PA
Academics, genealogists, and the interested public are invited to the 27th conference of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, an international academic research and cultural association devoted to the history of the descendants of Jews who were persecuted in Spain and Portugal from the 15th-18th centuries.
This year’s theme, “Crypto-Judaism in the Americas,” explores crypto-Judaism from many disciplines (e.g., anthropology, history, sociology, philosophy, literature, music, art history, etc.) and from many geographic locations or time periods, especially the issue of crypto-Jewish identity, both historic and contemporary.
Keynote speaker Professor Ronnie Perelis, PhD, of Yeshiva University, scholar of medieval and early modern Jewish history, professor of Sephardic Studies at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies of Yeshiva University, and author of Narratives from the Sephardic Atlantic: Blood and Faith, will discuss the Inquisition, crypto-Judaism, and Sephardic culture. We are further proud to present noted academic, author and specialist in Spanish language, literature and Hispanic-Judaic studies, Dr. David Gitlitz, who will present “The First Practicing Crypto-Jewish Family in Mexico.”
Please click here for additional information
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Contact us by email or phone ((917) 606-8266) to learn about giving opportunities in honor or memory of loved ones
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Copyright © 2017 American Sephardi Federation, All rights reserved. Thank you for opting (on our websites, at an event, or by email) to receive American Sephardi Federation Programming Updates and Publications. We apologize if this message was sent in error. The American Sephardi Federation is a proud partner of the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St., New York, NY, 10011). American Sephardi Federation | http://www.AmericanSephardi.org | info@americansephardi.org | (212) 548-4486
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Copyright © 2017 American Sephardi Federation, All rights reserved.
Thank you for opting (on our websites, at an event, or by email) to receive American Sephardi Federation Programming Updates and Publications. We apologize if this message was sent in error.
The American Sephardi Federation is a proud partner of the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St., New York, NY, 10011).
American Sephardi Federation | http://www.AmericanSephardi.org | info@americansephardi.org | (212) 548-4486
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